Classical Voice North America has a new rave review for the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Brahms: Symphony No. 4 and James MacMillan: Larghetto for Orchestra:
“Honeck begins Brahms’ Fourth Symphony by lingering on the upbeat, emphasizing the way the first two notes can sound like a sigh. Those two notes are immediately inverted, so goodbye temporarily to the sigh, but Honeck’s rhetorical gesture establishes a certain wistfulness characteristic of Brahms’ first two movements. It also signals the expressive range the conductor achieves throughout the first movement for songfulness, motivic interplay, mystery, and power. … this beautiful performance is marked by transparent textures of rich tones as well as wonderful nuances in the strings and particularly powerful climaxes. … The Allegro giocoso is unique among the third movements of Brahms symphonies for its vigor, which Honeck emphasizes with his driving tempo. And for all its boldness, this performance is also sensitive. … The new recording is completed by a major new work, no mere filler.… MacMillan’s music is imbued with profound religious sensibility. The orchestral version loses none of the penitential character. The music is in E minor until the very end, the same key as the Brahms symphony. It opens for cellos divided in four parts, marked “desolate and void,” and becomes more fervent in its prayer.… Honeck…leads a committed performance with superbly controlled orchestral playing. The fortissimo passages are very well judged in volume and come forth naturally. … Finally, the quality of recorded sound… is a spectacular achievement because it is so utterly natural, as though you’re hearing the music from the best seat in the house.”
—Mark Kanny, Classical Voice North America
See the full review on classicalvoiceamerica.org